In Shinobi, ninja Romeo and Juliet have to fight each other because the great Tokugawa ordered it. What will it happen? This is a movie that is based , apparently, on a Futaro Yamada novel, called Kouga Ninpu Chou. Both Ninja Scroll and Basilisk anime are based on it. I haven't yet seen Basilisk, but the beginning of the first episode is identical to the beginning of this movie. It might be better to watch Basilisk first to really understand the film.
For me, the more deep meaning of the film was that people are ants, and as long as there is some bigger ant that a lot of smaller ants listen to, individual skills are useless. In the end, Tokugawa justifies his actions by the eternal "you are not really human". Well, isn't that the cherry on the cake? Every war ever fought was based on the idea that your enemy is not human or at least very different. So much for the bringer of peace in Japan.
The action is good, though, you meet interesting ninjas with great skills, then they die. So much training for just one silly moment. I was expecting the two villages to unite and kick some bureaucratic ass, but that was not to be. Alas, in the modern world, the bureaucrats always win.
===== Update =====
I couldn't find the IMDb entry for the animation series Basilisk, so I will just comment on it here:
Oh my God, they killed Taizen! You bastards! :)
It makes sense to continue the comment here, as the plot is almost identical both in the series and the film. The anime has 24 episodes, the idea of each being how different ninjas fight with their special abilities. The characters are a bit different, but mostly the same powers they have in the film they have in the movie. Taizen is really annoying in the series, as well as Oboro, while some of the chicks are drawn really well :) The ending is slightly different, but essentially, if you've seen the movie, there is a high probability you will get bored watching the anime. Watching the anime first, though, would make the film seem rather silly. Anyway, good anime, but not amongst the best.
